Freedom & flag: 10 years' flight
26 January 2004
Nobody living in South Africa at the time of transition could have helped noticing how one thing rose above all others and has remained there, unassailed, ever since. In the literal sense this was the new, colourful, by now quite famous, South African flag. Figuratively too, when the chips were down, it has been the flag; a unifying force quite unlike any other.
The book Flying with Pride: The Story of the South African Flag, published on Freedom Day two years ago, records the many ways in which the new national flag has become integrated into the very fabric of South African society.
It has become key rings and playing cards, rulers and ties, shirts and hats, belts and shoes ... and so much more.
Besides the obvious trinkets and gear, it has also become part of our image of ourselves. It has become livery, logos and icons for anything from a two-person business to a huge corporation, from a township project to a government
department.
It has morphed into the Welcome Man, and from there into an umbrella. It has become a flower, a golfer, a tree and a diamond.
Where it isn't the flag itself, it's the colours of the flag, subtly woven into a pattern or texture, stopping one short in the traffic as the colours suddenly leap out as something hugely more.
This year, 2004, celebrates the first 10 years of the "new" South Africa. Much will be heard over the coming months of the plans to celebrate this milestone in our history, and to revisit our achievements and national symbols at this time. Chief among the latter is the South African national flag, universally acknowledged as one of the major successes of the transition.
In recognition of this event, and as a contribution towards its celebration, the publishers of Flying with Pride have collaborated with Proudly South African and
Unilever South Africa to launch The Flying with Pride 2004 Heritage Calendar on Heritage Day, 24 September 2003.
This magnificent wall calendar features "larger than life" images of our flag – both as the flag and as some of the many derivations of it, which have come to signify its universal acceptance.
Each page of the calendar includes some useful information on the flag – how it should be flown, symbolism in the design and colours, important dates in its history, and so on.
Besides a page for each two-month period in 2004, the calendar includes pages for the period September to December 2003. The purpose of this unique feature is to enable its use as a countdown calendar to 2004. Besides adding a splash of colour over this time, these pages detail the exciting, sometimes nail-biting, events which led to the first hoisting of the new flag nearly 10 years ago.
Another unique feature of the calendar is the inclusion of a large-format, full colour pull-out
poster dedicated to the national flag. Serving both as a decorative and educational wall hanging, the poster includes all the information and images featured in the calendar, as well as illustrated instructions on how to draw the flag and important contacts on the subject of the flag and related matters.
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Unilever South Africa, the calendar has been made available to schools throughout South Africa at half price. With the anticipation of 2004 growing apace, this represents an opportunity to both celebrate the flag and learn more about its history, significance and correct usage.
The 10-page 2004 Heritage Calendar is available from bookstores, via the Flying With Pride website, and directly from the publishers at 0861 SAFLAG at the recommended retail price of R96.
Source: WildNet Africa
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